Points Guru: How many Virgin Velocity points do you need for a flight?

Escape’s points expert, Sabine Leroy, answers your questions about frequent flyer programs.

I’ve just started collecting Velocity points. How many do I need to save up for a flight?

You can book a free flight domestically in Zone 1 (i.e. Sydney to Melbourne) for as little as 6,200 one way in economy, plus applicable taxes. If you’re considering an international flight, you’re looking at 7,800 one way in economy. 

Like most airlines, Virgin Australia breaks up its fares in zones. Zone 1 is the shortest flight and the greater the distance, the more points required to book a fare. 

If you have a destination in mind, Virgin has a mileage calculator where you can put in your departure and destination, and it’ll spit out how many points you need to get there. The reason you’ll usually see a range (for example 14,100 – 21,900 points for Brisbane to Perth) is because it depends how many seats are available. If it is an empty flight or a durning non-peak, generally less points will be required. 

What should you do if you don’t have enough points to book a flight?

Top tip: never buy a blender.

It comes down to what is the best value for your points. 

Buying a blender, wine or gift card from the Velocity Rewards Store is the worst value. You should only really avoid this at all costs. Even if your points are going to expire, it’s much better to transfer them to a family member or investigate the airline's Family Pooling service. 

To get the best value, save up points till you can afford to pay for a flight purely on points. Your best bet to book a flight is to book as early as you can. This will give you the greatest chance with availability. 

Alternatives to booking a Virgin Australia flight with points

If you're struggling to book a Virgin flight with points, try one of their partners.

If you’re not having any luck booking a Virgin flight on points, you can check out one of the airline’s partners such as Etihad, Singapore Airlines, Air Canada and Qatar Airways. Redemption rates differ between airline partners so you'll need to check with the particular airline partner to work out how many points you'll need to redeem for a reward seat. 

The key is to make sure your account is active and that your points remain valid. There are loads of ways to do so like buying coffee at 7 Eleven, shopping at a Flybuys store like Coles, Kmart, Target or Liquorland and having a credit card that earns Velocity points. 

Have a question about points? Drop Sabine an email at [e-mail]. Personal replies are unfortunately not possible.

Originally published as Points Guru: How many Virgin Velocity points do you need for a flight?